The other day I was in a Walgreens here in Florida and quite suddenly my ears caught a remake of the 1965 Beatles song, It’s Only Love.

I thought, how nice it is to hear the younger generation give the nod to the classics.

It would be like Jack Kerouac beating out a Shakespearean quote. Or Shakespeare sonneting Chaucer. Or Chaucer … Well, you get the picture.

I opened my mouth to voicelessly—and inconspicuously—sing along with the singer. “It’s only lo…”

The singer—gasp—messed up the lyrics. He didn’t know the lyrics to the song he was remaking.

No. It was something far worse. He didn’t know he was doing a remake of a classic.

This new song itself isn’t bad and the part in question appears to be just a bridge or mini-chorus. It has a catchy synthesizer riff that makes the song memorable without needing to plagiarize.

I have no idea who sings the song or what it is called—at my age (42) it would be downright embarrassing to know that—but if you are 20 and have never heard of the Beatles, lend me your ears and I’ll play you the chorus of It’s Only Love. Brace yourself: you’ll instantly shout, “Those rascally Beatles stole that from so-and-so!”

Only, barring the slim possibility the Beatles possessed time travel abilities, it was the other way around.

(Here is a very well-done cover of the song. Listen to the chorus.)

George Harrison, of course, had a similar problem. My Sweet Lord rips He’s So Fine. And honestly, his indiscretion was much worse. He didn’t have the youth excuse. He should have known better.

]]>https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/of-love-and-plagiarism/feed/01nichi1kaiLoud-Music2016-05-19_0218初めてビリヤードに挑戦した誠くん。けっこう楽しかったみたいです。プールテーブルほしいなぁ〜。https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/%e3%83%86%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/
https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/%e3%83%86%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/#respondFri, 13 May 2016 16:58:35 +0000http://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/%e3%83%86%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/
誠
]]>https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/%e3%83%86%e3%82%b9%e3%83%88/feed/0nekonikkibAligator Lake Adventurehttps://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/testify/
https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/testify/#respondFri, 13 May 2016 16:48:34 +0000http://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/testify/
Megumi and Clay
Aligator!
]]>https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/testify/feed/01nichi1kaiNew Ninja Penguin Cartoon: All-you-can-eat Buffet!https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/new-ninja-penguin-cartoon-all-you-can-eat-buffet/
https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/new-ninja-penguin-cartoon-all-you-can-eat-buffet/#respondWed, 22 Apr 2015 13:35:02 +0000http://kotobainc.com/?p=916It’s a bit silly, but I woke up with this idea and I just had to sketch it out. Ninja Penguin is the character that introduces Japanese prefectures in our book aptly titled, Ninja Penguin Talks Japanese in Japan.

If you have Windows 8, please click here to download it for FREE. The first story, Hikoichi and the Hanami, is totally free. You can also get the second story free by writing a review (click on the button in the app to write a review and when you come back, the second story will be unlocked). This includes all grammar notes, dictionary functions, and sound files (slow and normal speed). Other stories are inexpensive and being added often.

We’ve tried to make this an amazing resource while maintaining low prices. Please let me know what you think.

LEARN to read Japanese the fun and easy way with this collection of traditional Japanese stories.

** For Beginners (with hiragana knowledge) up. **
Read real Japanese, listen to the story (slow and normal speed), and tap any word to get an instant definition. Read Japanese is your ticket to the world of Japanese Literature! Enjoy reading Momotaro, Hikoichi, Aesop’s tales, Inch-high Samurai, Princess Kaguya, modern short stories, and more. (With much more to come!)

Each story includes two audio recordings by a native Japanese speaker—one at normal speed and one at slow speed so even beginners can understand.

Each story is written with full hiragana and kanji (with optional furigana), so you can read along at your own pace. The best way to increase your vocabulary and remember Japanese is to read the stories and learn the words and phrases in context. This app will let you do that. In addition, you can listen to the story while you read, adding yet another sense to your language learning arsenal. Tap on any word/phrase and see the translation and grammar notes instantly.

BEST of all! The first story is completely FREE. Try it out and learn from Hikoichi, the wise and yet mischievous young man, as he finds a way to enjoy hanami—cherry blossom viewing. Other stories are inexpensive and available for instant download.

Try it out—your Japanese will benefit as a result.

Yes, you can read real Japanese—even if you are just starting out in Japanese! While new-to-Japanese beginners can get a lot from this, hiragana knowledge is highly recommended.

]]>https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/brand-new-read-japanese-for-windows-8/feed/01nichi1kaiScreenshot.245737.100000Screenshot.245737.1000001Four New Reviews for our FREE Hiragana & Katakana iPhone / iPad Apphttps://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/four-new-reviews-for-our-free-hiragana-katakana-iphone-ipad-app/
https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/four-new-reviews-for-our-free-hiragana-katakana-iphone-ipad-app/#respondFri, 23 Aug 2013 15:14:04 +0000http://kotobainc.com/?p=775Normally, we get a review every other day. But today, we suddenly got four for our Hiragana and Katakana – Complete Basics of Japanese! And I love all four.

Most Easy And Effcient App For Learning Japanese On The Appstore.
From Learning To Writ(e) Japanese (Katakana & Hiragana) To Reading Stories & Writing Them With Perfect Grammar.This Is A Perfect Combination Of What A Newbie Needs for His/Her Japanese.

Awesome app! Best Japanese app I’ve ever hadIt’s a great app for beginners just taking the first steps as well as more experienced people. I’ve studied for more that a year and this app has clarified many things I might have otherwise never understood. The only complaint I had was that the search option was very limited so I got a japanese dictionary app to compensate because I wanted to search words I had heard but didn’t know that meaning of.the search option needs to be like a dictionary with a database that doesn’t need Internet. That would make this app the best Japanese learning app on the app store.

Very helpful app!!Easy to use. Great study tool.

Thank you
I had the sudden spark to learn Japanese before school and this app helped, it helps you remember, gives you quizzes and examples. It’s absolutely perfect. 5 stars.

Neat! That makes my day. BTW, if you have an iPhone or iPad and you are interested in learning Japanese, this app is free and easy to use. Download it now. It is ad supported, but I guarantee the ads are unobtrusive.

]]>https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/08/23/four-new-reviews-for-our-free-hiragana-katakana-iphone-ipad-app/feed/01nichi1kaistarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarstarIntro for Future Ninja Penguin Videoshttps://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/intro-for-future-ninja-penguin-videos/
https://1nichi.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/intro-for-future-ninja-penguin-videos/#respondThu, 13 Jun 2013 22:26:47 +0000http://kotobainc.com/?p=756We just released Ninja Penguin Talks Japanese in Japan in paperback and eBook format. We have an iPhone/iPad game in the works and I also plan to create some educational (and some… less-so) videos staring our penguin friend.